Cooling module for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A cooling module for a vehicle connected to an operating system and an air conditioning system. The cooling module may include a radiator for a stack that is disposed at a rear side based on a front/rear direction of a vehicle, a radiator for electric devices that is disposed at one side based on a width direction of a vehicle at a front side of the radiator for a stack, a first condenser that is disposed inside a header tank of the radiator for electric devices to condense refrigerant as a first condensing process, and a second condenser that is disposed at the other side based on a width direction of a vehicle at a front side of the radiator for a stack and is connected to the first condenser to condense the refrigerant that is exhausted from the first condenser as a second condensing process.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority of Korean Patent Application Number 10-2013-0122240 filed Oct. 14, 2013, the entire contents of which application is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention is related to a cooling module for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cooling module for a vehicle that a condenser of an air conditioning system is separately disposed in an electric vehicle, each condenser, a radiator for electric devices, and a radiator for a stack are disposed depending on amount of heat transfer and operating temperature, and a cooling performance of a vehicle is improved such that a travel distance is extended, and a heating/cooling performance and a package are improved.

2. Description of Related Art

Recently, energy efficiency and environmental pollution are of increasing concern, and environmentally-friendly vehicles substituting for vehicles having an internal combustion engine have been researched. Such environmentally-friendly vehicles include electric vehicles using a fuel cell or electricity as a power source, or hybrid vehicles driven by an engine and an electric battery.

Here, as for the electric vehicle adopting a fuel cell, chemical reaction energy between oxygen and hydrogen is converted into electrical energy to thus generate driving torque. In this process, heat energy is generated by chemical reaction within the fuel cell, and this heat needs to be effectively removed in order to ensure the performance of the fuel cell.

Furthermore, even in the hybrid vehicle, driving torque is generated by driving a motor using a fuel cell or electricity supplied from an electric battery, together with an engine operated by general fuel. In this regard, the performance of the motor can be secured only when heat generated from the fuel cell, the battery and the motor is effectively removed.

A conventional cooling system that is provided in an environmentally-friendly vehicle includes a radiator for cooling electric driving devices having an inverter and a motor, a radiator for cooling operating system having a fuel cell stack, a cooling module having a condenser and a cooling fan for cooling refrigerant of an air conditioning system at a front side of a vehicle, a cooling line that connects the cooling module with operating system, a cooling pump that circulates refrigerant, and a reservoir tank that refrigerant is stored.

Here, the radiator includes a radiator for electric devices and a radiator for a stack and is disposed between an air conditioning condenser and a cooling fan.

Each radiator supplies an inverter and a motor, and a fuel cell stack with coolant through each water pump, the coolant is stored in each reservoir tank and is supplied to each radiator again, and these processes are repeated to circulate coolant such that an operating system of a vehicle is cooled.

However, in a cooling module of a cooling system for a conventional environmentally-friendly vehicle, a radiator for electric devices, a radiator for a stack, and an air conditioning condenser are disposed in a front/rear direction of a vehicle and a capacity of a radiator for a stack has to be increased to secure cooling performance of a fuel cell stack, and therefore the configuration of the cooling module becomes complicated and there is a problem that the layout of each piping that connects the operating system with the air conditioning system is complicated.

Also, when a radiator for electric devices, a radiator for a stack, and an air condenser are disposed from a front side to rear side direction, it is hard to secure a space for mounting a cooling module between an engine room and a bumper and an amount of heat transfer and an operating temperature of each radiator and an air condenser are different from each other, thus, when they are cooled by cooling fan and traveling wind, the cooling system can overcool refrigerant or undercool, and a cooling fan and a water pump are operated based on the system that a cooling capacity is low, and therefore there is a problem that the operating power is increased and traveling distance is decreased.

The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention provide for a cooling module for a vehicle having advantages of dividing a condenser into a water cooled type and an air cooled type, disposing each condenser, a radiator for electric devices, and a radiator for a stack according to a amount of heat transfer and a driving temperature as one package in an air conditioning system in such a way that cooling performance of a vehicle and cooling/heating performance are improved, cooling performance difference is prevented, consuming power of a water pump and a cooling fan are saved, travel distance is increased, and capacity of cooling fan and each radiator are reduced to save manufacturing cost.

Various aspects of the present invention provide for a cooling module for a vehicle that is disposed on a front side of a vehicle to be connected to an operating system and an air conditioning system, and that may include a radiator for a stack that is disposed at a rear side based on a front/rear direction of a vehicle, a radiator for electric devices that is disposed at one side based on a width direction of a vehicle at a front side of the radiator for a stack, a first condenser that is disposed inside a header tank of the radiator for electric devices to condense refrigerant as a first condensing process, and a second condenser that is disposed at the other side based on a width direction of a vehicle at a front side of the radiator for a stack and is connected to the first condenser to condense the refrigerant that is exhausted from the first condenser as a second condensing process.

The radiator for electric devices and the second condenser may be mounted on the radiator for a stack through a mounting bracket.

At least one mounting protrusion may be integrally formed on an exterior circumference of the radiator for a stack along a length direction of a header tank corresponding to the mounting bracket.

The radiator for electric device may be disposed in parallel with the air cooled condenser based on a width direction of a vehicle.

The radiator for a stack and the radiator for electric devices respectively may have a header tank that is disposed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof, coolant is supplied and exhausted through the header tank, and is a fin-tube type heat exchanger.

The first condenser may be a water cooled type that coolant exchanges heat with refrigerant inside the header tank of the radiator for electric devices.

The first condenser may include a condensing portion that is made by two plates that are combined to form a coolant passage through which coolant flows, and a plurality of the coolant passages are disposed with an equal distance from each other, a coolant inlet that is formed at one end of the condensing portion to be connected to each coolant passage and protrudes toward an outside of the header tank, and a coolant outlet that is formed at the other end of the condensing portion corresponding to the coolant inlet to be connected to each coolant passage and protrudes toward an outside of the header tank at an opposite side of the coolant inlet.

A plurality of protrusions may be formed on an outside surface of a plate that is disposed at one side among two plates with a predetermined distance, and the protrusions may contact an outside surface of the plate that is disposed at the other side thereof to be combined.

A radiating protrusion may integrally protrude toward both sides in a width direction of the condensing portion on the plate that is disposed at the other side of two plates. The second condenser may be disposed at a front side of the radiator for a stack and is an air cooled type that refrigerant exchanges heat with outside air.

The second condenser may have a receiver dryer that is integrally formed thereon to separate gaseous refrigerant from the refrigerant at one side that faces the radiator for electric devices.

As described above, in a cooling module for a vehicle according to various aspects of the present invention, a condenser is divided into a water cooled type of a first condenser and an air cooled type of a second condenser, each condenser, a radiator for electric devices, and a radiator for a stack are disposed according to a amount of heat transfer and a driving temperature as one package in an air conditioning system, and therefore there are effects that cooling performance of a vehicle and cooling/heating performance are improved, cooling performance difference is prevented, consuming power of a water pump and a cooling fan are saved, travel distance is increased, and capacity of cooling fan and each radiator are reduced to save manufacturing cost.

Also, an air conditioning system and a cooling system are unified to form one module, and therefore a package is reduced, capacity of each radiator can be reduced, and manufacturing cost is saved.

Also, when it is disposed at a front side of an engine compartment, a mounting space is minimized, and therefore there is an effect that space efficiency is improved in a vehicle.

Also, a layout of piping is simple, and therefore there are effects that piping length through which refrigerant and coolant flow is reduced, flowing resistance of each operating fluid is reduced, and flowing amount is increased.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a projective perspective view of an exemplary cooling module for a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a projective front view of an exemplary cooling module for a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an exemplary cooling module for a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a water cooled condenser that is applied to an exemplary cooling module for a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along A-A line of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the specification, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements.

FIG. 2 is a projective front view of a cooling module for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a cooling module for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a water cooled condenser that is applied to a cooling module for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, a cooling module for a vehicle 100 according to various embodiments of the present invention has a condenser 130 and 140 that is divided into an air cooled portion and a water cooled portion, wherein each condenser 130 and 140, a radiator for electric devices 120, and a radiator for a stack 110 are formed as one package that is disposed according to a amount of heat transfer and a driving temperature such that a cooling performance difference is prevented, a power for operating a water pump and a cooling fan is reduced to increase a travel distance, and capacity of the cooling fan and the radiator is reduced to save manufacturing cost.

For this, a cooling module for a vehicle 100 according to various embodiments of the present invention is disposed at a front side of a vehicle to be connected to a non-illustrated driving system and an air conditioning system, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, and includes a radiator for a stack 110, a radiator for electric devices 120, a first condenser 130, and a second condenser 140.

Here, a vehicle having a cooling module 100 according to various embodiments of the present invention can be an electric type having a fuel cell vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a vehicle having a water-cooled intercooler.

Firstly, the radiator for a stack 110 is disposed at a rear side in a space that is formed by a bumper at a front side of non-illustrated engine compartment based on a front/rear direction of a vehicle.

Here, a non-illustrated cooling fan can be disposed at a rear side of the radiator for a stack 110 so as to make outside air flow through the radiator.

The radiator for electric devices 120 is disposed at one side of a front side of the radiator for a stack 110 based on a width direction of a vehicle so as to circulate coolant to an electric driving device that is provided in a vehicle and to cool the coolant that is heated by the electric driving device through a heat exchange with outside air.

Here, a header tank 111 and 121 is respectively disposed on an upper portion and a lower portion of the radiator for a stack 110 and the radiator for electric devices 120, coolant is supplied to the header tank 111 and is exhausted from the header tank 121, and the radiator 111 and 120 are a fin-tube type heat exchanger that is connected by a tube T and a heat radiating fin P.

In the radiator for a stack 110 and the radiator for electric devices 120 having the above configuration, coolant cools fuel cells and electric devices to be heated, the heated coolant is supplied to the header tank 111 disposed at an upper portion, and passes each tube T to be supplied to the header tank 121, wherein the coolant is cooled by exchanging heat with outside air that flows between the tubes (T).

Here, the heat radiating fin (P) is formed between the tubes (T) and radiates heat that is transferred from the coolant flowing each tube (T).

In various embodiments, the first condenser 130 is disposed inside the header tank 121 of the radiator for electric devices 120 and condenses refrigerant as a first condensing process.

The first condenser 130 is connected to non-illustrated coolant piping to receive refrigerant passing an evaporator and can be a water cooled condenser that is disposed inside the header tank 121 that is disposed in a lower portion of the radiator for electric devices 120 to make refrigerant exchange heat with coolant.

Here, the first condenser 130, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, includes a condensing portion 131, a coolant inlet 135, and a coolant outlet 137, and these will be respectively described.

Firstly, the condensing portion 131 is formed by two plates 133 that are combined to form a coolant passage 132 through which refrigerant flows, a plurality of the coolant passages 132 that are made by the plates are arranged with a predetermined distance from each other.

Here, the condensing portion 131 can have 7 sets of refrigerant passages 132 those are formed by combining two plates 133, wherein 7 sets of refrigerant passages can be laminated.

The refrigerant inlet 135 is formed at one end of the condensing portion 131 to be connected to the refrigerant passage 132 and protrudes out of the header tank 121 that is disposed at a lower portion of the radiator for an electric device 120 to be connected to a not-illustrated refrigerant pipe.

And, the refrigerant outlet 137 corresponding to the refrigerant inlet 135 is formed at the other side of the condensing portion 131 to be connected to the refrigerant passage 132 and protrudes out of the header tank 121 at an opposite side of the refrigerant inlet 135.

Here, one plate 133 that is disposed at one side of two plates 133 has a plurality of protrusions 138 that are formed at one side with a predetermined distance and the other plate 133 that is disposed at the other side contacts one plate 133 through each protrusion 138.

That is, the protrusion 138 is formed on an upper surface of the plate 133 that is disposed on an upper side based on the drawing in various embodiments, and the upper side plate 133 is combined with the lower side plate 133 through the protrusion 138 in such a way that two plates 133 are securely combined with each other.

Also, when the coolant that flows in the header tank 121 flows spaces that is formed by each protrusion 138, the flowing path of the coolant is continuously changed by the protrusion 138 such that the heat exchange between the coolant and the refrigerant is efficiently performed and the condensing rate of the refrigerant is enhanced.

Meanwhile, a radiating protrusion 139 is integrally formed at the plate 133 that is disposed at the other side of two plates 133, and the radiating protrusion 139 is formed toward an outside at both sides in a width direction of the condensing portion 131 in various embodiments. One will appreciate that such integral components may be monolithically formed.

The radiating protrusion 139 makes the heat of refrigerant passing the refrigerant passage 132 of the first condenser 130 be efficiently exchanged with coolant inside the header tank 121.

That is, the first condenser 130 having the above configuration enables coolant to flow a gap between two plates 133 and the protrusion 138 generates flowing resistance to increase contact area with the plate 133 such that refrigerant passing the refrigerant passage 132 efficiently exchanges heat with coolant and condensing efficiency of refrigerant is enhanced.

Also, the radiating protrusion 139 transmits the heat that is transmitted from the refrigerant passing the refrigerant passage 132 to the coolant flowing inside the header tank 121.

And, the second condenser 140 is disposed at the other side based on a width direction of a vehicle at a front side of the radiator for a stack 110, is connected to the first condenser 130 through a refrigerant piping, and condenses refrigerant that is condensed by the first condenser 130 as a second condensing process.

Here, the second condenser 140 is disposed at a front side of the radiator for a stack to be an air cooled type that cools refrigerant by exchanging heat with outside air.

The second condenser 140 has a plurality of coolant tubes 31 that are disposed with an equal distance from each other in a height direction and can be a fin-tube type having a heat radiating fin (P) between the coolant tubes 141.

A receiver dryer 143 is integrally formed on the second condenser 140 at one side that faces the radiator for electric devices 120 to separate gaseous refrigerant from the refrigerant that is condensed. One will appreciate that such integral components may be monolithically formed.

Meanwhile, in various embodiments of the present invention, the radiator for electric devices 120 and the second condenser 140 are mounted on the radiator for a stack 110 through a mounting bracket 150, and the radiator for electric devices 120 is arranged in a row with the second condenser 140 based on a vehicle width direction.

Here, at least one mounting protrusion 113 is integrally formed on an exterior circumference of the radiator for a stack 110 along a length direction of the header tank 111 of the radiator for a stack 110 corresponding to the mounting bracket 150. One will appreciate that such integral components may be monolithically formed.

That is, the radiator for electric devices 120 and the second condenser 140 is mounted on the mounting protrusion 113 that is formed on the header tank 111 through the mounting bracket 150 at a front side of the radiator for a stack 110, and therefore they are integrally mounted on the radiator for a stack 110.

In the cooling module for a vehicle 100, the radiator for electric devices 120 is disposed at a front side of one side based on a vehicle width direction according to a amount of heat transfer and a driving temperature, and therefore the cooling performance is not deteriorated without size increment.

Simultaneously, the cooling module 100 prevents the deterioration of the cooling performance through the first and the second condensers 130 and 140 respectively having water cooled type and air cooled type and improves condensing performance of refrigerant such that the increment of consuming power of a compressor is prevented.

Also, the radiator for electric devices 120 and the second condenser 140 are disposed on an equal line at a front side of the radiator for a stack 110 such that overall thickness of the cooling module 100 is short and font side collision performance of a vehicle is improved.

Accordingly, in a cooling module 100 for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention, a condenser is divided into a water cooled type of a first condenser 130 and an air cooled type of a second condenser 140, each condenser (130 and 140), a radiator for electric devices 120, and a radiator for a stack 120 are disposed according to a amount of heat transfer and a driving temperature as one package in an air conditioning system, and therefore there are effects that cooling performance of a vehicle and cooling/heating performance are improved, cooling performance difference is prevented, consuming power of a water pump and a cooling fan are saved, travel distance is increased, and capacity of cooling fan and each radiator are reduced to save manufacturing cost.

Also, an air conditioning system and a cooling system are unified to form one module, and therefore a package is reduced, capacity of each radiator can be reduced, and manufacturing cost is saved.

Also, when it is disposed at a front side of an engine compartment, a mounting space is minimized, and therefore there is an effect that space efficiency is improved in a vehicle.

Also, a layout of piping is simple, and therefore there are effects that piping length through which refrigerant and coolant flow is reduced, flowing resistance of each operating fluid is reduced, and flowing amount is increased.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms upper or lower, front or rear, and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooling module for a vehicle disposed on a front side of a vehicle to be connected to an operating system and an air conditioning system, comprising; a radiator for a stack disposed at a rear side based on a front/rear direction of a vehicle; a radiator for electric devices disposed at one side based on a width direction of a vehicle at a front side of the radiator for a stack; a first condenser disposed inside a header tank of the radiator for electric devices to condense refrigerant as a first condensing process; and a second condenser disposed at an opposing side based on a width direction of a vehicle at a front side of the radiator for a stack and is connected to the first condenser to condense the refrigerant exhausted from the first condenser as a second condensing process.
 2. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the radiator for electric devices and the second condenser is mounted on the radiator for a stack through a mounting bracket.
 3. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 2, wherein at least one mounting protrusion is integrally formed on an exterior circumference of the radiator for a stack along a length direction of a header tank corresponding to the mounting bracket.
 4. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the radiator for electric device is disposed parallel with the air cooled condenser based on a width direction of a vehicle.
 5. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the radiator for a stack and the radiator for electric devices respectively have a header tank disposed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof, coolant is supplied and exhausted through the header tank, and is a fin-tube heat exchanger.
 6. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first condenser is water cooled exchanging heat with refrigerant inside the header tank of the radiator for electric devices.
 7. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first condenser includes: a condensing portion defined by two plates forming a coolant passage through which coolant flows, and a plurality of the coolant passages are disposed with an equal distance from each other; a coolant inlet formed at one end of the condensing portion to be connected to each coolant passage and protrudes toward an outside of the header tank; and a coolant outlet formed at an opposing end of the condensing portion corresponding to the coolant inlet to be connected to each coolant passage and protrudes toward an outside of the header tank at an opposite side of the coolant inlet.
 8. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 7, wherein a plurality of protrusions are formed on an outside surface of a plate disposed at one side among two plates with a predetermined distance, and the protrusions contacts an outside surface of the plate disposed at an opposing side thereof to be combined.
 9. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 7, wherein a radiating protrusion integrally protrudes toward both sides in a width direction of the condensing portion on the plate disposed at an opposing side of two plates.
 10. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second condenser is disposed at a front side of the radiator for a stack and is an air cooled that including refrigerant that exchanges heat with ambient air.
 11. The cooling module for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second condenser has a receiver dryer integrally formed thereon to separate gaseous refrigerant from the refrigerant at one side that faces the radiator for electric devices. 